Dave Tyson announces retirement from City of Eureka

If you are curious about the source of that speck of light way down at the end of the tunnel, it is this: Eureka City Manager Dave Tyson will step down from his post on December 28, 2012. Tyson made the announcement on KINS radio this afternoon. Listen to the good news here:

But Tyson is leading the effort to hire a new chief, and may well stick Eureka with the same regressive leadership that led to a string of officer-involved shootings in 2006. In fact, Tyson has cast a very small net in his search for a new chief, but has already interviewed former EPD Sgt. Michael Johnson, one of the SWAT shooters who murdered Eureka resident Cheri Lyn Moore in her G Street apartment that year.

So while the end of the Tyson reign is near, the legacy he leaves will likely continue to leach poison into the Victorian Seaport for years to come.

Regarding Mike Johnson (who, with Rocky Harpham, shot and killed Cheri Moore)… Both those guys (SWAT thugs like Reyna-Sanchez, Liles, etc) went to Ione CA after the County’s old employee, Kim Kerr, transferred there. She brought them there. Several years ago, Redwood Curtain CopWatch received calls from Ione about how horrible Johnson and Harpham were behaving toward people there!

Humboldt contributes some real good stuff to the world, but sometimes it produces some real ugly.

Below is an article about Kim Kerr. It is a bit boring to me, but it is hard to read through the online paper, so I copied it for anyone interested.

Ione City Attorney blames former City Manager Kerr
Water Quality Control Board hears city’s plea
By Matthew Hedgermhedger@ledger-dispatch.com

Former city manager Kim Kerr is being held largely to blame, by the City of Ione’s hired attorney, James Maynard, for a series of financial irregularities that plunged Ione into a morass of continuing problems.
Maynard’s allegations came to light in a letter prepared as part of the city’s official comments to a state water board, prior to a hearing, during which an extension to allow the city more time to come up with a coherent plan to solve decade-old problems at the city’s wastewater treatment plant was sought.
In a letter dated March 2, 2012, addressed to California Regional Water Quality Control Board Assistant Executive Officer Kenneth Landau, Maynard asked for the extension, and provided several reasons why it should be granted. Among them was the city’s failure to follow up on a Kerr-led negotiation team effort which sought, and was granted, a previous time extension to solve the same problem, in early 2011.
Maynard said the timeline agreed upon as part of that plan was thwarted when, after he and Interim City Manager Jeff Butzlaff began their service to the city in July 2011, negotiations with PERC Water, Inc., the company tapped to construct a costly regional, activated-sludge plant, including tertiary treatment — a plan brought forth by Kerr — fell through.
“Because the city pursued this complicated, expensive and ultimately unworkable solution over a lengthy period, it lost critical time for compliance with the Regional Board’s mandates,” wrote Maynard.
In the letter, Maynard also said the collapse of the national economy, and the stoppage of new homebuilding in the area that might have paid for the ambitious plan, coupled with Ione’s limited 1,600-ratepayer base, showed the plan would likely not survive a public challenge to a necessary sewer rate increase to pay for the new plant.
“If the city had moved forward with the PERC-proposed plant, Ione’s sewer rates would have increased from $40.70 per equivalent dwelling unit to well over $100 per EDU, an increase that would not have survived the Proposition 218 ratepayer protest process,” he said.
Presenting the subsequent timeline of events, which he said included “external factors … including an imminent recall election,” Maynard wrote that “the discovery and disclosure of massive mismanagement of the city’s finances by the former city manager have seriously impacted the city’s compliance schedule,” and informed the board that “these delays have decreased the odds that the city will meet the next cease and desist order deadline of May 30 … .”
Maynard went on to describe what he felt were two factors which had “greatly complicated the city council’s ability to garner either internal consensus or community support for any project or city expenditure of funds.”
The first factor was the divisive recall campaign that ultimately failed to recall then mayor and current sitting councilman Dave Plank during a special election held Feb. 28.
“The second, and much more critical factor, was the discovery by the city’s interim city manager, that former city manager Kim Kerr overstated the size (and the existence) of the city’s general fund reserve,” wrote Maynard. “The city council and community had been led to believe that Ione was solvent and had a general fund reserve of $1.2 million.”
Maynard said, in fact, the fund had been “overspent” and had no reserve.
“Further, Ms. Kerr failed to identify an almost $500,000 structural deficit in a city budget of approximately $2.5 million,” informed Maynard, adding that Kerr’s financial mismanagement appeared to have been endemic.
“Lastly, the former city manager spent money from various special funds without any regard as to whether such expenditures were appropriate,” wrote Maynard. “Though this financial mismanagement did not directly impact the city’s sewer fund, it severely impacted the city council’s relationship with Ione’s residents and ratepayers, and undermined trust in Ione’s municipal government.”
Repeated attempts to reach Kerr for comments were unsuccessful as of press time.
Short URL: http://www.ledger-dispatch.com/?p=37772

While I take this as truly good news (Eureka simply can’t afford to keep Tyson around any longer, the man and the lawsuits he draws are helping to break the city) I’m afraid I can’t be optimistic about his leaving. With the power structure he’s helped to put in place and the people assigned to finding his heir, he will be simply be replaced by a clone.

It is an opportunity however and I suppose I should he glad of that. Next!

just middle class

May 5, 2012 at 8:03 am

If you want to see lawsuits, just look at Humboldt County, they have so many that they do not want to tell how much they have spent on attorney’s fees.

Spitball

May 5, 2012 at 8:12 am

Tyson lied about quitting two years ago, and the reason he lied was to take himself off the table as far as being an election issue for the good ole boys slate. Once his cronies got elected he revoked his lie.

We must consider that Tyson is telling a lie again, and for the same reason. It is at least possible.

So, if HumCPR can take over the county board o’ supes, will Dave be the next county CAO?

Anonymous

May 5, 2012 at 9:07 am

Oh Verweena. Mike Johnson, the former EPD sgt, was hired last week as the new chief of police for Anderson California. I guess you don’t know as much as you think you do, or you don’t read the newspapers or listen to the news.

Anonymous

May 5, 2012 at 9:09 am

I read that Garr Neilsen has applied for the chief of police in Lebonen Oregon! He told them he “quit” EPD because he and his family wanted to move back to Oregon ?

Mitch

May 5, 2012 at 9:31 am

Anyone reading this, 9:09, will be quick to discover that Garr Nielsen was the best thing to happen to Eureka in a long time, but was forced out by the Neanderthals.

They’ll quickly discover how he got an out-of-control police force back under control, how thrilled citizens were to have police services once again, how he stood up to the entrenched and corrupt pols, and how he was ultimately forced out.

They should do research on the wave of police killings that preceded Nielsen’s hiring. They should see how, unprompted, citizens turned out in large numbers to advocate on his behalf when the pols quickly tried to take him down.

They should recognize that there’s no shame in finally being forced out by the corrupt people in charge of a corrupt little town.

Anonymous

May 5, 2012 at 9:54 am

If you thinki that we will ever have a City Manager as well versed in working with Five different board memebers, which changes every two years, you are all nuts. Just watch the revolving door now. History will prove the “NEI” sayer’s never knew him, ever talked to him and always had it in for him cuz they didn’t get their frigging way. I will be back with further commentary after I read the rest of the dribble made up by folks I can name, but won’t.

LDC

May 5, 2012 at 10:07 am

I agree with Mitch; Tyson has been a disaster for this city for a long while-but never as offensive as when he fired Garr Nielsen. I figure the city is trying to go back to the good ol’ days. We will know soon.

jr

May 5, 2012 at 10:55 am

Maybe it is time to bring back Dave Tooley or John Arnold.

High Finance

May 5, 2012 at 11:15 am

Funny how the lawsuit against Tyson has been mentioned numerous times in this topic but no mention of the just as big lawsuit against Garr Nielsen that caused the city to pay out hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“While in Eureka, Johnson was involved in two of the community’s four highly publicized officer-involved shootings in 2006 and 2007. In both cases, his actions were ‘legal and lawful,’ court records show.”

Both the wrongful death suit and Gallegos’ prosecution were thrown out of court in the Moore case. Those trying to spin the Moore case as police misconduct tend to overlook those inconvenient little facts.

The real beef against Tyson is that he wouldn’t permit Larry Glass to go outside proper channels in dealing with City staff, including EPD.

anonymous

May 5, 2012 at 11:50 am

Thank You God.

Eric Kirk

May 5, 2012 at 3:00 pm

I had heard from several people that this resignation was in the works for some time, but he didn’t want to give his opposition the “satisfaction” of having it look like he was driven out – even if he was.

Anonymous

May 5, 2012 at 3:00 pm

Mitch summarized it wonderfully above with his accurate history of life in Eureka pre-Garr and post-Garr. So true. Garr (along with Larry Glass) were the two best things to happen to Eureka in decades.

It will take years to undue the damage Tyson has done – most importantly, how he has enabled for the Good Ol’ Boy network to dominate the city with a stranglehold . He’s probably leaving the week before the next council is sworn in next year so he can ensure the Brady Bunch pick his next successor and implement the “Four-Vote Majority” rule that came with Tyson’s original city manager contract. First of its kind, of course.

Anonymous

May 5, 2012 at 4:02 pm

That is true Garr along with Larry did a world of good for this town. What a shame Garr was driven out by a few disgruntled lazy employees and Tyson and gang.

Mitch

May 5, 2012 at 6:19 pm

Hi Fi at 11:15 neglects to mention that it was Tyson who authorized the settlement of the suit. A suit most observers considered without the slightest merit. Tyson awarded a nice big bag o’ cash to one of his supporters and a person Nielsen tried to make actually work for her pay.

HiFi grows more despicable with each passing day — it’s like a miracle.

Gary Milliman may be wanting to return to Calfornia. He was the City Manager of Fort Bragg, now Brookings, Oregon.

Thirdeye

May 5, 2012 at 9:25 pm

Bean counters drive most lawsuit settlements when large institutions are involved.

Jack Sherman

May 5, 2012 at 11:57 pm

Whenever “Highly Mistaken” is confronted about his BS, all he’s got are insults.

How sad.

Down the Road

May 6, 2012 at 7:00 am

The Grand Jury found no merit to the claims made by Suzie Owsly.
David Tyson did authorize the pay off. He also authorized the pay
off to Dee Dee Wilson without following city protocol of first turning
the claim down.

insider

May 6, 2012 at 7:58 am

Mike Johnson is Tyson’s old friend. He always wanted to bring him back as chief. Just because Tyson retires doesn’t mean his tentacles won’t still run deeply through the City. I think Tyson would love the CEO job that Rex and Virginia will offer him.

Anonymous

May 6, 2012 at 10:26 am

Mitch, can you really be that thick (AKA stupid). Garr Neilsen was a disaster, he just hid it well for a while with a little help from his buddy Larry.

Garr’s firing is said to be “unpopular” by Hearaldo. It was only unpopular with 4 or 5 dozen people in Euerka; including Larry, Linda, Verbena, and so on.

Thirdeye

May 6, 2012 at 2:39 pm

And Ron Kuhnel, Peter LaVallee, and others from that political machine and its cheering section trying to drum up the issue for the sake of political advantage.

When you consider the Universal Law: “What goes around, always comes around,” I’d say Eureka and Humboldt County get the exact political and police they deserve.

Mitch

May 6, 2012 at 3:23 pm

Anonymous 10:26,

I was working a couple of blocks away when the SWAT team shot a woman who could have easily been talked down by any random sympathetic soul.

What existed prior to Garr Nielsen was a disaster. Nielsen was courageous enough to try to change things in the cesspit.

Jack Sherman

May 6, 2012 at 8:02 pm

Tyson couldn’t even muster a complaint against the Cutten subdivisions during the years it sprawled beyond infrastructure capacity. For 30 years Eureka still pays the price in fines for disastrous sewage discharges into its wetlands and into Humboldt bay, all it got was a $2 million pipe to nowhere, and a “funeral processions” in traffic on Harris St., H St. , I St., Walnut and Campton.

Maybe the next city manager should live in the city she’s managing.

Anonymous

May 8, 2012 at 8:22 pm

Dave Tyson is the best City Manager that Eureka has ever had!

Anonymous

May 8, 2012 at 10:13 pm

No wonder Eureka is so fucked up.

Amy Breighton

May 8, 2012 at 10:53 pm

Right you are anonymous.

Eureka ranks statistically among the top in the state and nation for poor health, poor wages, poverty, crime, traffic fatalities for pedestrians, motorists and cyclists, drug abuse, homelessness, suicide, police shootings, and the 25% housing affordability rate!

Yet, the Tyson ideologues are fighting to stay the course without a clue of where they’ve been or where it’s taking us, just more big boxes and sprawl to keep the community’s deepest pockets in easy money.

High Finance

May 9, 2012 at 7:17 am

Is the poverty rate & poor wages just Eureka or is it Humboldt County Amy ?

As far as crime & traffic fatalities the numbers are skewed because this is a town of 45,000 but the statistics use a base of only the 28,000 that live in the official city limits.

I’m glad you have expressed concern about the drug abuse here, perhaps you will join us in trying to stop all the pot clinics that are trying to open in the greater Eureka area.

Ditto on the homelessness. A small number of people are working overtime trying to attract more homeless to this area for all the free bennies.

Do you realize the “”25% housing affordability rate” is an extremely misleading statistic and is almost useless ?

At least you didn’t blame Tyson for all the bad weather !

Amy Breighton

May 10, 2012 at 1:17 am

You’re the sad pissant who stalks this blog whining how others sources, studies and research “don’t apply”, never offering any in your own defense.

Do you, honest to God, think that Tyson and his predecessors had no idea that their buddy’s who bought/inherited cheap land on Humboldt Hill, Myrtle Town and Cutten, (where Tyson lives), weren’t pushing Eureka’s infrastructure far beyond capacity? Do you honestly need a list of the ways Tyson, and his predecessors, could have slowed or addressed this disaster for the last generation?

You think its those brazen pot-addicts wildly breaking into local homes and businesses, driving down Broadway at 90 MPH to avoid a warrant?

Ditto on homelessness; you think every other city in the U.S. lacks record numbers, but Eureka’s “benefits” are a goldmine-attraction?

Do you realize that both Healthy Humboldt and the Humboldt Home Builders Assoc. agree on H.Co’s disgraceful 25% home affordability rate?

This is the part where “High Finance” consoles his/her low self-esteem by ignoring others strongest points and exploiting any perceived weaknesses with a tired inventory of quips and satire.

Anonymous

May 10, 2012 at 6:51 am

Hey HiFi, I got a Bohn mailer yesterday with Bohn posing with Betty Chin! He must support her enticing the homeless with free bennies!

Jack Sherman

May 10, 2012 at 11:31 am

From bennies to bailouts, Wall Street to Main Street, as long as the right-wingers perceive a political benefit, they’re in.

High Finance

May 10, 2012 at 6:46 pm

Amy, do you understand what the “25% home affordability rate” is ?

I notice you avoided the question again.

Amy Breighton

May 11, 2012 at 12:55 am

I noticed “Highly Mistaken” avoided every other point I made…

If he/she were interested in debate, rather than provocation, he/she would have simply made his/her dumb-ass point.

I rest my case.

High Finance

May 11, 2012 at 7:14 am

Amy, do you understand what the “25% home affordability rate” is and isn’t ?

“Debate” requires dialogue and not just making charges.

As far as your spurious charges, what “buddies” of Tyson bought all this “cheap land” on Humboldt Hill, Myrtletown and Cutten ?

Those properties are out of the city limits. What the hell does it have to do with the EUREKA city manager ?

So flame on. You can continue to make childish & ridiculous charges that make you look like an idiot. Or you could answer my question & learn some facts.

Amy Breighton

May 11, 2012 at 11:37 am

If others have to provide you with answers to “learn some facts”, what do we need you for?

People like you shouldn’t be allowed to use big words like “Idiot”!

If you knew something about the 25% figure, you would simply provide it….it’s called debating…

High Finance

May 11, 2012 at 12:18 pm

You had two choices to go there Amy. One was like an adult and one was like a child.

Aside from Kerrigan and Glass, when was the last time Tyson, (or any other Eureka official or council member), published an editorial, spoke publicly, or filed an official complaint, to address a generation of growth beyond infrastructure capacity? Never.

If local newspapers did their job, everyone would know why the development community dominates campaign contributions, win most elections, dominate public planning hearings, and is sending their minions to take over the democrat’s county organization.

Things are getting desperate for the propertied-class and their dependence on easy money and the public teat.

High Finance

May 11, 2012 at 6:27 pm

You had your chance to prove something Amy & you failed.

Yet you keep posting your attacks and refuse to answer anybody’s questions. It is obvious that you don’t wish to expose your total lack of knowledge.

Amy Breighton

May 11, 2012 at 9:21 pm

What’s obvious is that a mature adult would have immediately backed-up his/her claim and explain why you think that Humboldt Builder’s Association AND Healthy Humboldt are incorrect when they testify at supervisors meetings that Humb. Co. has a housing affordability rate of 25%.

You had your chance silly fool.

Jack Sherman

May 11, 2012 at 11:42 pm

Amy, you’ve fallen for Heraldo’s resident troll who has no interest in debate and is increasingly ignored, you should do the same.

Who else but “High-Liar” would manufacture a ridiculous situation where the ONLY resolution is to obey a command, or be punished!?

I pity this individual’s bitterness, probably a very brutal childhood.

High Finance

May 12, 2012 at 6:50 am

I did not say they were incorrect Amy, I said it was a very misleading and useless statistic.

It infers only 25% of the adults could afford to buy a house when obviously that is wrong since something close to 60% of the people already own their home.

Next it includes the 20-29 year olds who have never been able to afford to buy a home as they are just starting in their work career. It also includes the retired people, who if they don’t already own a home, can’t be expected to afford one.

Now, how about answering some questions yourself ?

Jack, it is ironic that you of all people would call anyone else a troll or call anyone else “bitter”. You are one sick puppy.

Jack Sherman

May 13, 2012 at 9:20 pm

Only a “sick puppy” could reappear so many times with no shame in the unlimited fantasies you weave as facts.

The statistic infers NOTHING about “adults”.

It is derived from average local incomes reported to the IRS, compared to average home prices.

No matter how you try to spin it, it’s ugly.

You have to earn a taxable income to be included in the statistic, thus, the 25% figure should probably be much lower.